


Say You Want It Too

by ktfics



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, M/M, Repression, Vampires, Werewolves, vampirisim as a thinly veiled metaphor for homosexuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 23:01:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20983817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ktfics/pseuds/ktfics
Summary: Kaito had thought hunting vampires would be cool, a way to get his life back on track and earn some money in the process.He hadn't quite expected the shame that would come along with it.





	Say You Want It Too

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr @dykeenvy if you wanna talk kiyoumota!

It’s fucking cold out.

Kaito pulls his jacket a bit tighter around his shoulders and idly shifts from one foot to the other, the crunch of dry leaves beneath him starting to become more annoying than satisfying. It’s fucking cold out, and too goddamn dark to see anything, and he really never should’ve agreed to take this shift alone.

His fingers clench painfully around the stake in his hand as he takes another long drag from his cigarette with the other; he’d hoped it’d help warm him up, but all it’d really done was prevent him from being able to shove his hands in his pockets. He was going to bring gloves along with him but then there’d been the fear that it’d prevent him from properly gripping the stake, and of course he could’ve gone for wearing a glove on only one hand, but god, how stupid would that look, fighting with only one glove on-

“You know,” drawls a low, sharp voice, “You may not want to move around so much if you’re looking to kill a vampire; the cigarette also serves as a bit of a hindrance when it comes to blending in with the night.”

Kaito screams.

The cigarette falls out of his hand and he spends a moment frantically stomping it out before he even gets a chance to whirl around and look at whoever had spoken. It takes a moment longer for him to actually  _ see _ the other man, the mere sliver of moon in the sky not making things any easier.

Not even five feet away from him stands the prettiest man Kaito’s ever seen; golden eyes gleaming in the darkness, hair long enough to reach his waist, sharp cheekbones cut off by a mask that covers the lower half of his face. Kaito thinks for a moment that he may be smiling, based off of the sly look in his eyes and the way his cheeks twitch upwards.

Kaito briefly wonders what he would even look like smiling, if the mask were not there, what his mouth could possibly look like underneath all that fabric-

Kaito swallows hard and looks down and away, his grip tightening even further around the stake. “Wh- who the fuck are you?” he finally stammers out, attempting to look as threatening as possible as he shifts the stake into a fighting position.

“Not your enemy,” the other man drawls, “Or at least, you’re not my enemy. You may still consider me yours, for now.” He takes a step forward, and then another, and Kaito has to shove down the embarrassing urge to run away.

“Doesn’t really explain who the fuck you are,” Kaito grits out, the stake trembling in his hand as he extends it towards the stranger.

But the other man doesn’t flinch, merely continuing to walk closer until the stake is pressed up against his chest, head tipped to the side as his eyes curiously regard Kaito. “My name,” he murmurs, “Is Korekiyo. You can call me Kiyo, if you like.”

Korekiyo’s hand curls around the stake, the bandages he’s wrapped himself in making an odd, scratchy noise against the wood. The eyes, the silent footsteps, the bandages; there’s no way he’s not a vampire, no way for Kaito to deny what he must be.

Kaito’s grip sporadically loosens and tightens as he shakes, as he thinks about what he has to do. 100 bucks for every heart he brings back, 100 bucks closer to paying rent, to being able to afford groceries for the week. 

He pushes his hand forward quickly, as quick as he can, his skin briefly brushing against Kiyo’s as he attempts to drive the stake into his chest.

Korekiyo’s chin hooks over Kaito’s shoulder as he pins his arm to his back. The stake falls to the ground with a clatter, crushing leaves beneath it as Kaito’s howl of pain is swallowed up by the relentless night sky.

“I’m not your enemy,” Korekiyo whispers, and Kaito can almost imagine the feeling of his breath against his neck, if the other man could breathe at all, “But I could be. I just want to talk, Kaito.”

Kaito’s shoulders roll back but Korekiyo’s grip holds true, and after a moment, he goes pliant.

“About what?” he mumbles.

\--

The dim, fluorescent lighting of the 24 hour diner Korekiyo drags him to doesn’t make the other man any less pretty, Kaito decides, and though that’s the least of his worries right now it still makes him a bit annoyed.

“So. I’ve heard you’ve joined up with Yonaga’s cult,” Korekiyo says, not wasting any time once Kaito finishes ordering a black coffee and some eggs from the exhausted-looking waitress.

Kaito cringes, his eyes idly tracing the cars that pass them by through the large window they’ve been seated next to as he desperately tries to ignore the fact that Korekiyo doesn’t have a reflection. “Well, I’m not sure you could really say I’ve joined, y’know, and I’m also not sure cult is the right word for it-”

“Once you’ve accepted money from them, you’ve joined,” Korekiyo says, voice far too casual for Kaito’s liking, “And by definition, a cult is a group of people dedicated to certain beliefs or practices that may be considered strange or sinister to others; I’m not sure what else you could call Yonaga’s following, considering they are quite literally dedicated to murder.”

“ _ Not _ murder,” Kaito immediately corrects, his fingers beginning to pick at one of the napkins on the table, “She just wants vampires dead. Or killed again, or returned to your natural state, or whatever. It doesn’t matter; point is, you’re already dead, so it’s not murder.”

But Korekiyo just smiles at him, or at least Kaito thinks he smiles because that damn mask is almost infuriating in how much it hides at this point, and says “Sounds to me like you’re reciting information you’ve been told because it allows you to feel more comfortable about your actions; another characteristic of having been indoctrinated into a cult.”

“Alright, alright,” Kaito grumbles, “I get it, it’s a fucking cult and Yonaga’s fucking creepy. I don’t care, I need the goddamn money; what do you want from me?”

“Well, I’d like you to leave them, first of all,” Korekiyo says, voice faintly amused, “I’m sure you might’ve guessed this, but I’m not too big a fan of the fact that you kill vampires, considering that I am one.”

Kaito snorts, shaking his head. “Not a goddamn chance, unless you’ve got some spare cash to hand out.”

“I do have a bit of a… counter offer for you, Kaito.” Korekiyo’s voice is careful as he speaks, his hands folded neatly on the table and head tilted cautiously to the side as Kaito meets his eyes for the first time since they sat down.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“I’m in a coven of sorts with a handful of other supernatural creatures; you could leave Yonaga’s cult, quit the one job you have managed to hold onto, and join us. We look out for each other; you wouldn’t have to worry about money ever again.” Kaito thinks he might hear a bit of hope in Korekiyo’s voice, and god if that isn’t one of the worst parts of this whole night.

He stands from the booth, throwing a handful of ones on the table to pay for the coffee that hasn’t even arrived yet. “No. No way in hell am I joinin up with a bunch of-”

“What do you think Yonaga is going to do, Kaito?” Korekiyo asks, his voice piercing, “When she finds out what you are?”

Kaito hesitates for just a moment, a split second, his face contorting into a grimace. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin’ about,” he mumbles, and then turns on his heel and walks away.

  
  


\--

“How was your shift, Momota?” Kaito just grunts, shaking his head as he shoves their uniform visor on over his carefully-gelled hair.

“Shit,” he mutters, “Didn’t kill anything.”

Tenko only raises an eyebrow in his direction, planting a hand on her hip. “Did you let one go again?”

Kaito huffs out an irritated sigh and leans over the counter that Tenko’s already set up behind. “No, I didn’t fucking let one of them go,” he grits out, “He- it- twisted my arm and fucking took me out to dinner- breakfast- what goddamn time is it?”

Tenko glances at her wrist, looking almost surprised at the hour herself. “Just before two am; you’re actually a bit early for once.”

Kaito nods, letting his head drop to the counter. The cold plastic sticks to his forehead uncomfortably and the visor pushes his hair out of place but it’s the most rest he’s gotten all day. “Is it too soon to take a cigarette break?” he mumbles.

Tenko shoves his shoulder, shooting him an annoyed look. “Those things’ll kill you and you know it,” she exclaims, missing the way Kaito mutters “if only” under his breath, “Besides, the boss wants you to restock the back shelves; you might as well punch in early and get started.”

Kaito stands with a groan, wearily looking back towards all the work he’s going to have to do.

“Now, what were you saying about letting one of them go again?” Tenko asks, her voice dropping in volume as the bell above the door chimes and a customer walks in. After they both turn and give the clearly-drunken man a friendly grin, Kaito rolls his eyes at her.

“I didn’t,” he protests, “Couldn’t have fought him- it- that thing off if I tried.”

“But you let it take you out to dinner?” Tenko asks, voice incredulous.

“I fucking didn’t,” Kaito protests once more, punching his card in and wandering towards the back of the store so he can actually try to earn some money tonight, “I’m telling you, it woulda killed me if I had protested- I was threatened into… going out... to dinner.”

There’s a pause in Tenko’s questioning as the man that had wandered in goes up to the register and checks out a six pack of beer, Kaito’s shoulders sagging in exhaustion as he idly listens to her terrible attempts at small talk.

As soon as the bell above the door chimes, Tenko’s voice fills the room once more. “How many vampires have you killed so far?” 

“One,” Kaito grumbles. It was simultaneously the best and worst night of his life; the feeling of his hand plunging through the damn thing’s chest, the sight of his- its- body crumbling, nothing left of it but a rotten heart impaled on a wooden stake. Yonaga had paid Kaito in cash that night, her eyes bright as she praised him, and Kaito had cooked himself up a steak with fresh vegetables for dinner, trying to ignore the nauseous feeling in his chest.

“If you don’t start to improve soon, it’ll be on me, y’know-”

“I know, I know-”

“Yonaga’s going to start questioning why I even recommended you in the first place-”

“I know, Chabashira-”

“And then we’ll both be kicked out and stuck working here part-time for the rest of our lives, withering away on minimum wage-”

“I get it, I’m a disappointment, whatever,” Kaito snaps, his fingernails digging into his palms, “You sound like every goddamn boss I’ve ever had.” He thinks of the series of failed jobs he had before this, he thinks of his old professors, all telling him how much better he could be if he only  _ tried _ a little harder, if he only bothered to show up a little more often.

Kaito blinks, all of his anger draining out of him as he rubs his hands down his face, because god, they were right, of course, and everything bad that’s ever happened to him has been his fault. He wanders back up to the counter, leaving all those cans and boxes left to be restocked behind him.

“I am actually gonna take that smoke break now,” he mumbles to Tenko, shoving his hand into his pocket, “Give me a pack of Marlboros.” Tenko gives him a disapproving glare, but turns around and begins to grab him a pack of cigarettes without further nagging, perhaps sensing his exhaustion and for once giving him a break.

Kaito’s hand digs around in his pocket for a moment longer before he remembers he used the last of his cash to pay for a meal he didn’t eat. Fuck, shit, the cigarette he only got to half-smoke before dropping it was also his last one, and he doesn’t get paid until the end of the week. Damn that vampire, damn Korekiyo, damn his pretty face and his stupid fucking offer-

Kaito reaches down a bit further into his pocket and his fingers brush against what he thinks might be paper. After a second more of searching and an odd burst of hope, he pulls out a crisp twenty dollar bill and a business card. He stares numbly down at the money and the card, which appears to be advertising a used bookstore. 

“Momota?” Tenko asks, waving a hand in front of his face, “Are you actually going to pay for these, or are you just learning to read right now or something-”

“Fuck off,” Kaito grunts, shoving the bill at her as he continues to stare at the business card, flipping it over in his hand. 

_ Consider my offer. You’re welcome anytime, Kaito _ is scrawled across the back of it in delicate handwriting, nearly resembling calligraphy.

Damn that vampire. Damn Korekiyo.

\--

It’s still fucking cold out when Kaito goes to meet Korekiyo again.

If only to return the money, of course. Kaito didn’t like handouts, and the cash he’d thrown on the table at the diner was way less than twenty bucks.

The used bookstore Korekiyo apparently works at looks small, crammed inbetween two other stores on the corner of some street Kaito’s never been down before. A sign that reads “closed for lunch” hangs on the inside of the front door, and Kaito considers it for a moment before cautiously turning the door handle.

Korekiyo did say he was welcome anytime, and even if he’s out he might as well get a look around the place to make sure it’s not some kind of trap.

Kaito quietly steps into the store, the musty smell of old books immediately hitting him like a brick wall.

He looks around curiously for a moment, eyes tracing down the aisles of books in front of him. It’s been awhile since he’s been in a bookstore, and for just a moment he allows his gaze to linger on one of the shelves labelled “Astronomy.” It’s been even longer since he’s had the time to properly study anything, but thoughts of the night sky and the moon only serve to make his chest ache.

His pace picks up a bit, passing by the rows of books and a single cash register. As he walks further and further towards the back of the store, the atmosphere gets even dustier, the lighting reduced to just overhead bulbs as any sunlight coming in from the front window fades away.

Kaito wonders briefly if that’s for a reason, if Korekiyo has to work in the back portion of the store so he doesn’t burn alive or whatever; Yonaga hadn’t exactly cleared up what was myth and what was fact when it came to vampires, only telling them that a stake to the heart got the job done and not to bother with garlic-

“C’mon, Kiyo, you can do better than that,” purrs a mischievous-sounding voice, and Kaito stops dead in his tracks as he rounds a corner and comes upon an open area, replete with a small couch and a rickety-looking coffee table.

“Don't be such a brat,” huffs out Korekiyo, a laugh audible even through his faux frustration, “I don’t wish to hurt you, you know.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine and you know it. Now, c’mon, c’mon, we don’t have all day!”

Sitting on Korekiyo’s lap is another man, clad in the brightest clothes Kaito has ever seen; purple and orange and gold, only to be matched by the even brighter smile he’s sending towards Kiyo. 

“Well alright, dear, if you insist.” Korekiyo sighs, but it is, for once, clear that he’s smiling, as his mask is no longer covering his mouth. 

Kaito’s breath hitches in the back of his throat and his stomach turns as he watches Korekiyo bite down into the other man’s neck, who lets out a small, almost delighted, yelp, before wrapping his arms around Korekiyo’s waist and relaxing against him.

A minute must pass as Kaito just stands there in shock, eyes drawn to the sight of Korekiyo’s mouth, to his sharp teeth sunken into flesh, to his cherry-red lips smearing lipstick all over his companion’s neck. 

Korekiyo pulls back after licking the wound once to close it, and for a split second, the sight of leftover blood is nearly indistinguishable from the lipstick stains. 

“Now,” the man on Korekiyo’s lap says with a sigh, “Will our guest please step into the room?”

Kaito startles as Korekiyo looks up and meets his gaze, his expression faintly surprised. “You could’ve said something sooner, Kokichi,” he softly admonishes, voice a little hoarse at first.

“Well, I could’ve!” the man- Kokichi- chirps, “Butttttt, it looked like he was enjoying the show, and who am I to deprive someone of a little fun? Besides, he’s the rude one for interrupting your lunch.”

Kaito grimaces, thinking back to the sign on the door he’d ignored. “I- uh-”

Kokichi slides off of Korekiyo’s lap, bounding over to Kaito with his hand outstretched. “Kokichi Ouma; pleased to finally meet you! You’re the man of my dreams, y’know-”

“Wait, what?” Kaito interrupts, halfway through extending his own hand to shake Kokichi’s, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Korekiyo walks over, his footsteps as silent as ever as he pulls the mask back onto his face. “Kokichi,” he says, gazing down at the shorter man, “Is an oracle, of sorts. And he’s also the leader of our coven.”

“Pleased to meet you, new recruit!” Kokichi exclaims, patting Kaito on the arm, “I knew you’d come around eventually-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Kaito says, stepping back quickly in order to avoid his touch, “I never fuckin said I’m here to join you guys- I just wanted to pay you back.” He reaches into his pocket and hastily shoves fifteen bucks at Korekiyo. “There, done, I’m leaving now.” He turns around quickly, nearly running back towards the entrance as he tries to forget what he just saw; coming here was a mistake.

“I also knew that would happen,” Kokichi exclaims, his voice an exaggerated whine as Kaito leaves. 

“Sure you did, love,” Korekiyo responds with a small laugh, before Kaito can hear him start to follow. His tries to pick up his pace, but as it turns out, it’s rather hard to outrun a vampire.

“Kaito,” Korekiyo says, reaching the front door before he does and blocking the exit, “I know you didn’t come here just to give me fifteen dollars.”

“I did,” Kaito grits out, and he idly realizes that Korekiyo can stand in sunlight after all, “Please move.”

“You’d be safe with us, you know. You wouldn’t have to hide anymore, and you wouldn’t have to worry about hurting anyone. Kokichi may come across as obnoxious at first, but he’s good at what he does, and we move around often enough that there would be no risk of getting caught-”

“Korekiyo,” Kaito says, voice firm, “I’m not interested. I want to live a normal life, in one place, with a steady job and a girlfriend, and I’ve been workin real hard trying to accomplish that. I don’t need you coming in and fucking everything up for me, alright? I’m not like you; I don’t want that kinda life.”

Korekiyo pauses for a long moment, brows furrowed as he gazes at Kaito almost sympathetically. “Kaito, you’re not normal,” he says softly, “You never will be.”

“Yeah?” Kaito responds, a humorless laugh wheezing out of him, “You think so? Well, fuck that. Fuck you. I can be whatever I wanna be.”

He shoves past Korekiyo and forces the door open, leaving him behind without looking back.

This time, Korekiyo doesn’t try to follow.

\--

Yonaga’s cult meets up once every two weeks; the first time Tenko had invited him to a meeting, he thought it’d be in the basement of some abandoned building or something.

Honestly, this isn’t much better.

“Welcome, welcome!” Yonaga chirps, as she directs them into the church she somehow fucking runs.

A large statue of Mary glares down at Kaito as he shuffles into the building, immediately snatching a mini sandwich from the table full of appetizers at one side of the room.

“Himiko!” Tenko screams, and she’s gone from Kaito’s side in a second. Kaito watches a bit critically as she hangs off of the other girl, hoping for some kind of affection in return, like a pet that won’t stop biting its owner and then begging for treats. 

Still, who is he to judge? It’s been years since he last had a girlfriend, and Tenko’s desperate begging doesn’t make her any more or less lonely than he is, even if it is a bit embarrassing to watch.

“Kaitooooo,” Yonaga sings, her head popping over his shoulder and almost making him drop his sandwich out of fright, “I hope you have some positive news for us this week! God and I believe in you, you know!”

Kaito grimaces a little at the threatening undertone in her words, but at least there’s a little hope for him; he knows there’s a coven in town right now, and he knows where he can find some of their members. Information like that’s gotta be worth something.

“Yeah, I may have some news to share,” he says, trying to keep his voice light and ignore the guilt roiling in his chest.

“Wonderful!” Yonaga exclaims, “Come, come, let’s all gather to speak, then!”

The backroom of the church is even more imposing than the front entrance, the lighting too dim, the catholic imagery unavoidable and seemingly accusing Kaito of crimes he may or may not have committed.

There’s a ring of chairs set up for them to sit in, with plenty of room in the center for Yonaga to preach at them from. Kaito plops down into a chair, Tenko sitting down next to him and dragging Yumeno along with her.

He idly watches her gush at Yumeno, watches Yumeno's faintly bothered expression as she tries to tune out Tenko, her gaze remaining fixated on Yonaga in front of them. What’s worse is the look on Tenko’s face, the hope in her eyes that somehow hasn’t been stomped out yet, the way she leans in towards Yumeno and yearns for a love that she knows isn’t there and tries again and again to chase after. He’s watched Tenko prepare for these meetings, try to turn herself into someone she isn’t, try to mold herself into someone worthy of the kind of attention she thinks she should want.

“Tenko,” Yonaga snaps, “You need to be quiet now so we can listen to what God wants!” And Tenko folds into herself, accepting Yonaga's words without protest because it’s the first time Himiko’s looked at her all night.

Kaito almost scoffs. What God wants? This whole thing has always been about want, but he’s pretty sure it’s got nothing to do with God. It’s about what Yonaga wants, for life to be simple, easy, pure, it’s about what Tenko wants, to be loved by someone she thinks is beautiful, someone she thinks is better than her.

And what does Kaito want?

Well, he’s here for the money, of course, and because he thought it’d be cool at first, killing vampires, becoming some kind of hero, making friends with other people that believe in justice and all that shit, proving that he was good for something.

Yonaga drawls on and on, beginning what is basically a sermon about the importance of ridding the world of evil, and Kaito slumps down even further, his head leaning against the back of his chair.

He thinks of the stars, and how badly he had once wanted to live among them, how the moon nowadays makes him shrink back in fear even when it’s not full. He thinks about all the different illusions of grandeur he’s preoccupied himself with over the years, going to space and becoming a hero and being someone good, someone righteous, someone to be admired.

He thinks of the love in Tenko’s eyes, how she throws her whole self into everything she does even if just ends in her getting thrown right back out, all of her enthusiasm constantly rejected, unappreciated, gone to waste. 

Kaito wants- he wants to be safe. He’s tired of this, of hurting other people, of hurting himself, of watching people get hurt.

Maybe he’s not normal. Maybe he’s not a hero, and he’s not an astronaut, and he’s not even human, but fuck it, life isn’t over; he can still be  _ something _ .

“And I hear Kaito has good news for us tonight!” Yonaga chirps, all the eyes in the room swiveling towards him. “Why don’t you tell God all about it, Kaito?”

“I-” Kaito starts, stumbling over his own words, “I met a vampire-”

He pauses; he’s tired of this. He wants to be safe. He wants someone to care about who he is and not just what he can do, not who he can force himself to be.

“I quit,” he says, voice definitive.

Tenko turns to him quickly, eyes wide. “What?”

“I quit.”

“No, no, I’m sure that’s not what you meant-”

“I quit, and you do too,” Kaito says, standing and dragging Tenko along with him, “We’re out of here.”

“You can’t just- you can’t just quit for me, you degenerate-”

“I’m done sticking around people that don’t actually want me,” Kaito grits out, ignoring the death glare Yonaga is sending his way as he turns to look Tenko in the eyes, “Aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Tenko whimpers, “I’m one of the best hunters here, remember? I’m- I’m good at what I do, unlike you, and I never miss a shift- Himiko, back me up here?”

But Himiko says nothing, merely looking away from Tenko with a sigh, as if even her begging was exhausting. 

“Himiko-”

“Kaito,” Yonaga warns, “I told you when you joined that I’m very serious when it comes to loyal membership.” She pauses, head tilted to the side innocently. “Do you think God is unaware of your little secret?”

Kaito takes a step back, nervously glancing towards the exit as a few of Yonaga’s followers stand. 

“Kaito? What’s going on?” Tenko yelps.

Yonaga walks forward calmly, slipping a silver dagger out of her sleeve. “Tenko, you’re right; you are one of the best of God’s followers.” She extends the silver dagger forward. “Will you do Him the honor of taking out the traitor amongst us?”   
  


Fear courses through Kaito’s veins, and before he can even turn to run the door’s already been blocked by four different people, all armed. 

Tenko nervously takes the dagger in hand, and as Kaito watches her shake it’s almost as if he’s looking into a mirror. “I- I-” her gazes flicks between Kaito, Yonaga, and Himiko, who still amazingly looks bored to be there, as if she couldn’t care less whether or not Kaito died.

Kaito can almost hear his transformation before he feels it; the sound of his bones beginning to shift, his skin cracking open for his claws to poke through. It’s still a week before the full moon, but his fear is too big for his own body right now, and the curse has decided to do something about that.

“Tenko,” he grits out, “Please. Don’t. You _know_ Yonaga doesn’t care about you.”

“I-”

“Who helped you move a week after knowing you?”

“Y- you did-”

“Who volunteered to get beat up as an example when you taught that self-defense class for women?”

“You did…”

“And who spent an entire night at a lesbian bar and attempted to wingman for you even though you got too scared to speak every time a girl approached you?”

“I’m not sure you needed to say that one out loud, Kaito,” Tenko admonishes, but the dagger drops to the floor with a clatter just as Kaito’s ears push their way through the top of his head.

“Tenko, take this,” he says, voice a bit desperate as he shoves a wrinkled up piece of paper into her hands.

“What is this?”

“Somewhere safe we can go; a friend’s.”

And Kaito gets one last glimpse of Tenko’s determination and Yonaga’s anger before he blacks out.

\--

“Good morning, sunshine!”

The sound of Kokichi’s voice in the morning is perhaps one of the worst things Kaito’s ever heard.

He turns over in bed, burying his head into the pillows beneath him. “Do you have to do this every morning?” he mumbles.

“Well, I’m just so happy to see you here, beloved Kaito, aren’t I allowed to express my enthusiasm?” Kaito sighs, but something about his words makes a giddy feeling rush through his chest; not that he’d ever tell Kokichi he secretly enjoys his obnoxious greetings. 

Kaito blinks awake just as Kokichi scrambles to sit on top of his chest. “God, what are you, a cat?” he wheezes out.

“There’s only one animal in this relationship and you know that as well as I do,” Kokichi croons, leaning forward to brush a kiss against Kaito’s mouth before sliding down to the floor, “Now c’mon, Kiyo’s already made breakfast, get upppppp!”

Kaito blearily follows after him, remembering to slip on a shirt just as he leaves their bedroom. The smell of eggs wafts towards them as they get closer to the kitchen, and Kaito immediately begins to perk up.

“Good morning, love,” Kiyo greets, turning away from the stove for a moment to give them a fond smile that Kaito can tell is there even with the mask on.

“Mornin,” Kaito responds softly, walking up to press a kiss to the top of his head.

“Hey, hey, no fucking in front of our breakfast!” Iruma screams, and Tenko punches her shoulder. 

“Don’t be rude, Iruma,” she grumbles.

“Alright, alright,” Iruma concedes, turning to face her own partner, “Babe, c’mere, we gotta make out in front of ‘em next-”

“You know you don’t need excuses to kiss me,” Kirumi says simply, skittering up towards the table on her many legs and pressing a kiss to Iruma’s cheek, “But I do ask that you keep your vulgarity down during meals.”

Iruma stammers, and Kaito simply sighs, wrapping his arms around Kiyo’s waist from behind and watching everyone else in the room begin to argue over nothing. It’s been over a month since he and Tenko fled from Yonaga’s church and he’s still not quite used to the sheer amount of people living here. 

Kokichi hops up onto the counter next to them, extending out a hand for Kiyo to hold.

“You’ve got a real habit of picking up strays, don’t you?” Kaito comments to him, resting his head in the crook of Kiyo’s neck.

“Well, sure I do,” Kokichi says, his voice a bit more fond than he likely intends it to be as he gazes at the two of them, “But I’d say it’s one of the few good habits I have these days.”

And Kaito just hums contentedly in agreement, basking in the safety of living here, surrounded by people who have only ever expected him to be himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, comments and kudos are appreciated!!


End file.
